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poetry time
or, fox takes a break from sorting through her files. :-)
i read this in a french class in high school or college -- but i can't remember which, and therefore i can't remember if it was in a unit (or a course) on North Africa, the Caribbean, Belgium, or francophone Canada.
not, i suppose, that it matters.
i keep this around not because of the message so much as for the sound and the rhythm of the language. it pleases me to have things that are satisfying to pronounce -- in any language.
"Speak White" by Michèle Lalonde (1967)
Speak white
il est si beau de vous entendre
parler de Paradise Lost
ou du profil gracieux et anonyme qui tremble
dans les sonnets de Shakespeare
nous sommes un peuple inculte et bègue
mais ne sommes pas sourds au génie d'une langue
parlez avec l'accent de Milton et Byron et Shelley et Keats
speak white
et pardonnez-nous de n'avoir pour réponse
que les chants rauques de nos ancêtres
et le chagrin de Nelligan
speak white
parlez-nous de la Grande Charte
ou du monument à Lincoln
du charme gris de la Tamise
de l'eau rose du Potomac
parlez-nous de vos traditions
nous sommes un peuple peu brillant
mais fort capable d'apprécier
toute l'importance des crumpets
ou du Boston Tea Party
mais quand vous really speak white
quand vous get down to brass tacks
pour parler du gracious living
et parler du standard de vie
et de la Grande Société
un peu plus fort alors speak white
haussez vos voix de contremaîtres
nous sommes un peu durs d'oreille
nous vivons trop près des machines
et n'entendons que notre souffle au-dessus des outils
speak white and loud
qu'on vous entende
de Saint-Henri à Saint-Domingue
oui quelle admirable langue
pour embaucher
donner des ordres
fixer l'heure de la mort à l'ouvrage
et de la pause qui raifraîchit
et ravigote le dollar
speak white
tell us that God is a great big shot
and that we're paid to trust him
speak white
parlez-nous production profits et pourcentages
speak white
c'est une langue riche
pour acheter
mais pour se vendre
mais pour se vendre à perte d'âme
mais pour se vendre
ah!
speak white
big deal
mais pour vous dire
l'étérnité d'un jour de grève
pour raconter
une vie de peuple-concierge
mais pour rentrer chez nous le soir
à l'heure où le soleil s'en vient crever au-dessus des ruelles
mais pour vous dire oui que le soleil se couche oui
chaque jour de nos vies à l'est de vos empires
rien ne vaut une langue à jurons
notre parlure pas très propre
tachée de cambouis et d'huile
speak white
soyez à l'aise dans vos mots
nous sommes un peuple rancunier
mais ne reprochons à personne
d'avoir le monopole
de la correction de langage
dans la langue douce de Shakespeare
avec l'accent de Longfellow
parlez un français pur et atrocement blanc
comme au Viêt-Nam au Congo
parlez un allemand impeccable
une étoile jaune entre les dents
parlez russe parlez rappel à l'ordre parlez répression
Speak white
c'est une langue universelle
nous sommes nés pour la comprendre
avec ses mots lacrymogènes
avec ses mots matraques
speak white
tell us again about Freedom and Democracy
nous savons que la liberté est un mot noir
comme la misère est nègre
et comme le sang se mêle à la poussière des rues d'Alger
ou de Little Rock
speak white
de Westminster à Washington relayez-vous
speak white comme à Wall Street
white comme à Watts
be civilized
et comprenez notre parler de circonstance
quand vous nous demandez poliment
how do you do
et nous entendez vous répondre
we're doing all right
we're doing fine
we
are not alone
nous savons
que nous ne sommes pas seuls.
en anglais:
Speak white
it is so lovely to hear you
speak of Paradise Lost
or of the gracious and anonymous profile that trembles
in the sonnets of Shakespeare
we are an ignorant and stammering people
but we are not deaf to the genius of a language
speak with the accent of Milton and Byron and Shelley and Keats
speak white
and pardon us for having nothing in response
but the harsh songs of our ancestors
and Nelligan's chagrin
speak white
speak of this and that
tell us about Magna Carta
or about the monument to Lincoln
about the grey charm of the Thames
the rose water of the Potomac
tell us about your traditions
we are not a very bright people
but very capable of appreciating
all the importance of crumpets
or of the Boston Tea Party
but when you really speak white
when you get down to brass tacks
to speak of gracious living
and to speak of the standard of living
and of the Great Society
a little louder then speak white
raise your foremen's voices
we are a bit hard of hearing
we live too near the machines
and we don't hear anything but our breathing over the machines
speak white and loud
let a person hear you
from Saint-Henri to Saint-Domingue
yes what an admirable language
for hiring
giving orders
setting the time for the end of the shift
and for the pause that refreshes
and reinvigorates the dollar
speak white
tell us that God is a great big shot
and that we're paid to trust him
speak white
talk at us production profits and percentages
speak white
it's a rich language
for buying
but for selling yourself
but for selling yourself all the way to the soul
but for selling yourself
ah!
speak white
big deal
but to tell you
the eternity of a day on strike
to recount
a life as doorman-people
but to go home in the evening
at the hour when the sun comes to die above the alleys
but to tell you yes let the sun lie down yes
each day of our lives at the east of your empires
a language of oaths is worth nothing
our not-very-proper verbiage
tarnished with grease and oil
speak white
be at ease in our words
we are an angry people
but we blame no-one
for having the monopoly
on the correction of language
in Shakespeare's sweet language
with Longfellow's accent
speak a pure and atrociously white French
like in Vietnam in Congo
speak an impeccable German
a yellow star between your teeth
speak Russian speak back-in-line speak repression
Speak white
it's a universal language
we were born to understand it
with its words that make you weep
with its words that are armed to strike
speak white
tell us again about Freedom and Democracy
we know that liberty is a black word
like misery is negro
and like the blood mingles with the dust in the streets of Algiers
or of Little Rock
speak white
from Westminster to Washington take turns
speak white like on Wall Street
white like in Watts
be civilized
and understand our speaking of circumstances
when you ask us politely
how do you do
and you hear us answer
we're doing all right
we're doing fine
we
are not alone
we know
that we are not alone.
i read this in a french class in high school or college -- but i can't remember which, and therefore i can't remember if it was in a unit (or a course) on North Africa, the Caribbean, Belgium, or francophone Canada.
not, i suppose, that it matters.
i keep this around not because of the message so much as for the sound and the rhythm of the language. it pleases me to have things that are satisfying to pronounce -- in any language.
"Speak White" by Michèle Lalonde (1967)
Speak white
il est si beau de vous entendre
parler de Paradise Lost
ou du profil gracieux et anonyme qui tremble
dans les sonnets de Shakespeare
nous sommes un peuple inculte et bègue
mais ne sommes pas sourds au génie d'une langue
parlez avec l'accent de Milton et Byron et Shelley et Keats
speak white
et pardonnez-nous de n'avoir pour réponse
que les chants rauques de nos ancêtres
et le chagrin de Nelligan
speak white
parlez-nous de la Grande Charte
ou du monument à Lincoln
du charme gris de la Tamise
de l'eau rose du Potomac
parlez-nous de vos traditions
nous sommes un peuple peu brillant
mais fort capable d'apprécier
toute l'importance des crumpets
ou du Boston Tea Party
mais quand vous really speak white
quand vous get down to brass tacks
pour parler du gracious living
et parler du standard de vie
et de la Grande Société
un peu plus fort alors speak white
haussez vos voix de contremaîtres
nous sommes un peu durs d'oreille
nous vivons trop près des machines
et n'entendons que notre souffle au-dessus des outils
speak white and loud
qu'on vous entende
de Saint-Henri à Saint-Domingue
oui quelle admirable langue
pour embaucher
donner des ordres
fixer l'heure de la mort à l'ouvrage
et de la pause qui raifraîchit
et ravigote le dollar
speak white
tell us that God is a great big shot
and that we're paid to trust him
speak white
parlez-nous production profits et pourcentages
speak white
c'est une langue riche
pour acheter
mais pour se vendre
mais pour se vendre à perte d'âme
mais pour se vendre
ah!
speak white
big deal
mais pour vous dire
l'étérnité d'un jour de grève
pour raconter
une vie de peuple-concierge
mais pour rentrer chez nous le soir
à l'heure où le soleil s'en vient crever au-dessus des ruelles
mais pour vous dire oui que le soleil se couche oui
chaque jour de nos vies à l'est de vos empires
rien ne vaut une langue à jurons
notre parlure pas très propre
tachée de cambouis et d'huile
speak white
soyez à l'aise dans vos mots
nous sommes un peuple rancunier
mais ne reprochons à personne
d'avoir le monopole
de la correction de langage
dans la langue douce de Shakespeare
avec l'accent de Longfellow
parlez un français pur et atrocement blanc
comme au Viêt-Nam au Congo
parlez un allemand impeccable
une étoile jaune entre les dents
parlez russe parlez rappel à l'ordre parlez répression
Speak white
c'est une langue universelle
nous sommes nés pour la comprendre
avec ses mots lacrymogènes
avec ses mots matraques
speak white
tell us again about Freedom and Democracy
nous savons que la liberté est un mot noir
comme la misère est nègre
et comme le sang se mêle à la poussière des rues d'Alger
ou de Little Rock
speak white
de Westminster à Washington relayez-vous
speak white comme à Wall Street
white comme à Watts
be civilized
et comprenez notre parler de circonstance
quand vous nous demandez poliment
how do you do
et nous entendez vous répondre
we're doing all right
we're doing fine
we
are not alone
nous savons
que nous ne sommes pas seuls.
en anglais:
Speak white
it is so lovely to hear you
speak of Paradise Lost
or of the gracious and anonymous profile that trembles
in the sonnets of Shakespeare
we are an ignorant and stammering people
but we are not deaf to the genius of a language
speak with the accent of Milton and Byron and Shelley and Keats
speak white
and pardon us for having nothing in response
but the harsh songs of our ancestors
and Nelligan's chagrin
speak white
speak of this and that
tell us about Magna Carta
or about the monument to Lincoln
about the grey charm of the Thames
the rose water of the Potomac
tell us about your traditions
we are not a very bright people
but very capable of appreciating
all the importance of crumpets
or of the Boston Tea Party
but when you really speak white
when you get down to brass tacks
to speak of gracious living
and to speak of the standard of living
and of the Great Society
a little louder then speak white
raise your foremen's voices
we are a bit hard of hearing
we live too near the machines
and we don't hear anything but our breathing over the machines
speak white and loud
let a person hear you
from Saint-Henri to Saint-Domingue
yes what an admirable language
for hiring
giving orders
setting the time for the end of the shift
and for the pause that refreshes
and reinvigorates the dollar
speak white
tell us that God is a great big shot
and that we're paid to trust him
speak white
talk at us production profits and percentages
speak white
it's a rich language
for buying
but for selling yourself
but for selling yourself all the way to the soul
but for selling yourself
ah!
speak white
big deal
but to tell you
the eternity of a day on strike
to recount
a life as doorman-people
but to go home in the evening
at the hour when the sun comes to die above the alleys
but to tell you yes let the sun lie down yes
each day of our lives at the east of your empires
a language of oaths is worth nothing
our not-very-proper verbiage
tarnished with grease and oil
speak white
be at ease in our words
we are an angry people
but we blame no-one
for having the monopoly
on the correction of language
in Shakespeare's sweet language
with Longfellow's accent
speak a pure and atrociously white French
like in Vietnam in Congo
speak an impeccable German
a yellow star between your teeth
speak Russian speak back-in-line speak repression
Speak white
it's a universal language
we were born to understand it
with its words that make you weep
with its words that are armed to strike
speak white
tell us again about Freedom and Democracy
we know that liberty is a black word
like misery is negro
and like the blood mingles with the dust in the streets of Algiers
or of Little Rock
speak white
from Westminster to Washington take turns
speak white like on Wall Street
white like in Watts
be civilized
and understand our speaking of circumstances
when you ask us politely
how do you do
and you hear us answer
we're doing all right
we're doing fine
we
are not alone
we know
that we are not alone.
no subject
that was the front-runner, but i wasn't entirely sure.